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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30128661">On the Green! History Between Sports Rivals!?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkhymns/pseuds/Darkhymns'>Darkhymns</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Fic Request Challenge [10]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Mario Golf (Video Games), Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, Super Mario &amp; Related Fandoms</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Dialogue Heavy, Drabble, F/F, Fanfiction of Fanfiction, Gen, Humor, implied Peach/Daisy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 02:53:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,793</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30128661</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkhymns/pseuds/Darkhymns</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Goombella volunteers to be Daisy's golf caddie for her upcoming tournament. But she didn't expect to come upon new information about her sports hero that she hadn't known already!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Fic Request Challenge [10]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2153589</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>On the Green! History Between Sports Rivals!?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyWrites/gifts">SkyWrites</a>.</li>


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/17734574">Mario is Missing</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyWrites/pseuds/SkyWrites">SkyWrites</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Another request fic from twitter! This time, I used the Mario universe set up within Sky's fantastic longfic, <a href="https://twitter.com/darkhymns/status/1357787547464658944">Mario is Missing</a>.  Give it a read if you want noir-style mysteries starring Luigi! </p><p>That said, this fic is completely nothing like that. :) Think of it as a weirdly short filler episode.</p><p>Fic request thread <a href="https://twitter.com/darkhymns/status/1357787547464658944">here</a>.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>If Goombella had any arms, or hands, or maybe even a pair of claws, she’d pinch herself to make sure that none of this was a dream. Then again, the ends of the golf clubs poking her face should have been enough to give her the same general feeling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even so, she could barely believe it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ohmigosh, ohmigosh, I’m so, </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> happy you’re letting me be your caddie for your big game, Miss Daisy!” She huffed along with the golf bag she basically carried on her squishy Goomba skull. She was lucky that it wasn’t any heavier, or she’d be in dangerous stomping territory. “I promise that you can count on me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Goombella had to angle her head (still struggling with the weight of the golf bag) to even look up at Daisy, who roughly stood as tall as a four-piece Goomba Stack. A bit further away from the perimeters of New Donk City, the rain didn’t reach this quite ritzy and rather privileged-looking golf course. The sun caught the edge of the golden crown she always wore, shining right into Goombella’s eyes and nearly making her trip over a small grassy ridge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daisy only made an “Eh,” sound in response to Goombella's praises, cracking her jaw in what many might call an obnoxious yawn (and also a burp?). Dressed in her sports attire of a golden blouse complete with luridly orange shorts, she used the golf club she carried to get at an obnoxious itch that was smack dab in the middle of her back. “I mean, you know I only asked you because Luigi refused to do this for me, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Goombella, starry-eyed while slowly getting lower and lower to the ground from the bag, only smiled back so wide that her fang gleamed just as brightly as Daisy’s crown. “I’m glad you ever thought of me at all! I was happy to help out!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Even with your…whatever stupid job ya got?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Goombella shook her head. Or tried to, at least. She couldn’t risk dropping these golf clubs! “I requested the day off today! I was actually worried they wouldn't let me, but the station over at New Donk has been pretty quiet lately, and Bowser’s been more-or-less out of trouble-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, geez, I don’t need a whole lecture!” A shrug, followed by another vigorous golf-club scratch. “As long as it’s free help, I don’t care.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They had gone quite a bit of distance over the fairway of the golf course. There were a couple of Lakitus hovering over the course, carrying cameras at the end of their fishing rods to catch every angle of the upcoming tournament. Goombella hopped a little as they walked so that she might be seen through one such camera, since that was the best she could do as an alternative to waving like most people would. Luigi was always watching television all day, so he definitely had to have seen her!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She heard some of the crowd goers to the side, most of them filled with overly worrisome Toads of all shapes and sizes, some speckled red and yellow, while others wore pigtails just like another Toad she was missing… </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe I can ask Toadette to come with me to one of these things sometime,</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought before bumping the entirety of her face against Daisy’s ankle. “Ah! S-sorry, I wasn’t looking-!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, zip it already!” Daisy hissed at Goombella before turning forward. The expression on her face changed immediately from bored and annoyed… to bored and slightly peeved! “We can’t let her see any weakness!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Goombella blinked in confusion until she decided to follow Daisy’s gaze, further ahead on the green. She had already seen some of the other competitors for today’s tournament; a few Koopas, a half-asleep Spike who kept spitting out golf clubs from its mouth, and even a rainbow-troupe of Yoshis! But the person ahead of them, hair tied back in a simple ponytail, definitely looked much more different than anyone else they’d seen. Especially with her group of Toads that seemed to follow her around as well… actually, were some of those Toads from the station?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then it hit Goombella like she’d been clonked on the side by a Hammer Bro. (Which if that ever happened, she’d be very quite dead). “What? Chief Toadstool?!” she squeaked out, nearly dropping the bag in her shock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was hard to </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> be shocked without the chief’s suit and her usually grim face. Goombella had heard how she was once called ‘The Princess’ back at the station, but only now, seeing her in her pink golf attire, blue earrings fitted perfectly onto her ears as locks of blonde hair brushed against them, and just the way she held herself tall as she examined the tee off into the distance, golf club in hand – Princess Peach looked like a natural sports pro!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything fell into neatly fitted pieces in her malleable skull just then. “Ohmigosh, I completely forgot she plays golf too!” The golf club bag that was still on her must have been affecting her memory. Usually she knew all there was to know about people.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not just golf…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The seriousness of Daisy’s voice caught Goombella’s attention. She gazed up at her sports hero, seeing Daisy grit her teeth, holding the handle of the golf club in both hands with increasing tightness. “She does tennis, soccer, go-kart racing, party games – you name it, she’s done it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wh- Party games?” Goombella blinked. She thought she had followed Daisy’s sports career fairly well… And here was, thinking she was a real know-it-all! She’d need to amend her tattle log for this new information.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She used to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>the</span>
  </em>
  <span> champion before she finally hung up her cleats and went to work with the rest of those pigs. And now she’s come out of retirement!” Goombella was pointedly ignoring the pigs reference, feeling that surely what Daisy was talking about was more important than her own feelings. (And… to be fair, not like Daisy was wrong about that assessment). “And she thinks she can just do that?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, um, Daisy, you might bend that if you-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Too late. Daisy had been so intense in her explanation that the golf club had snapped cleanly in half. The woman still held both pieces in her hands, shaking slightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s okay! We still have another 3-iron just right… just right over…” Goombella struggled to try to reach the handle of one golf club in the bag with her mouth, just then grabbing the very edge of it with her sharp teeth. “Gofth ith!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh? Oh right, yeah, this one sucks now.” Daisy dropped her worthless golf club for the new one, making a face at seeing how Goombella handed it to her. She shrugged it off however, grabbing the club, no longer minding the Goomba drool all over it. “Anyway… this so-called </span>
  <em>
    <span>Princess</span>
  </em>
  <span> is going down! To think she can just come back at any time… and take </span>
  <em>
    <span>my </span>
  </em>
  <span>place!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Goombella heard Daisy’s words, then looked to her Chief out in the distance, stretching out her arms as she warmed up for the upcoming round. “Are you sure that’s why she’s here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why else would she be here? For the sportsmanship?! That’s a load of crap.” Daisy waved away the thought. “We’d been competing with each other for years before she just up and quit. Well, I’ll show her it won’t be that easy. I’ve been training all this time while all she’s done is sit in her cushy-job.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But still, Goombella wasn’t convinced. She turned back to watch her superior on what must have been her day off, waving at her Toad caddie who was carrying several different golf bags that made Goombella inwardly wince… Those must be all necessary golf clubs! </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But she looks happy,” Goombella observed aloud. “Happier than she’s been in weeks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The heck you going on about?” Daisy grimaced down at the Goomba who barely made it past the tops of her sneakers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The last case… It’s been hard on Luigi, but I know it’s been hard on her too. With Mario…” Goombella shook her head, feeling suddenly so bright and determined herself. “She’s really out here trying to get back at her original passions! She must be looking forward to playing so much!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“…What, you </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span> fan now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If she’s playing against you, and you two were rivals… That means she wants that friendly competition with you again!” Goombella turned towards her, confident as she spoke what she knew was the truth inside her heart. “You two must mean a lot to each other!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Whatever expression passed over Daisy’s face, Goombella was hard-pressed to tell. Between confusion, anger, more confusion, and… maybe a bit of excitement? She wasn’t entirely sure she got that last emotion right, but the redness all over Daisy’s cheeks let her know that whatever feeling her sports hero was experiencing, it was intense!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“W-well! I’ll show her then anyway! No matter the reason!” She clutched at the golf club again, facing Princess Peach who had now finally noticed them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She gently waved, a smile over her lips. Goombella stared. It was like she was a whole different person!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh, now she’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>mocking</span>
  </em>
  <span> me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think that’s what she’s-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s always done that, you know. Acting all kind and cute while playing the game like it was nothing! But I’ve gotten way better now!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Goombella stared, watching this new transformation. Perhaps there was even more history here than she thought-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll show that stupid pretty face of hers!” Daisy let one hand go from her golf club, standing up tall, a fire in her eyes. “I’ll show her and that soft hair and those fit legs-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A pause. Daisy unclenched her fist, then turned slowly towards the Goomba caddie. “…You didn’t hear that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh… sure…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good. Now hurry up and move those short legs! Er, or feet, I guess. I don’t know if you have any legs… Just hurry up!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah! Got it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Well, there definitely is a history there, all right…and it’s a history that I don’t know!</span>
  </em>
  <span> She knew she definitely needed to fix that, and would make sure to keep her observation powers on high alert for the game!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>…Though first off, she had to catch up to Daisy, who was rushing really quite fast to get to Chief Toadstool - no, Princess Peach. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe she just admires her legs?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Not that Goombella would ever really understand that anyway. Besides, she was still too busy trying to drag the golf club around. Man, if only she really </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> have arms – big ones even! Ones that can carry around luggage or maybe even a person? She wondered if Toadette would be into that...</span>
</p>
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